It’s dry: don’t ignore fire danger

The approval of a ban on outdoor burning Monday is a necessary precaution, especially in light of the destructive wildfires currently laying waste to hundreds of square miles of West and North Texas.

The Montgomery County ban, requested by County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams, is in response to the unusually dry conditions that have overtaken not only this county but much of Texas. The county is about six inches behind the normal rainfall for the year, creating conditions that could lead to wildfires. One measure of drought, the Keech-Byram Drought Index, stands currently at 600, or moderately dry. The maximum drought level on the index is 800. The prolonged lack of rainfall locally has reduced moisture levels among fallen limbs, trees and the accumulated debris on the ground in forest areas. A Red Flag Warning was in effect for Southeast Texas Monday, as a passing cold front created high winds and low humidity.

When conditions are this dry -- as they are in West Texas where wildfires rage -- a fire can be started with the most innocent of activities. A 71,000-acre fire in Northern Texas, for example, is believed to have been started by a welder's torch.

West Texas is being consumed by fires as we speak. Several large blazes have burned hundreds of square miles of rural Texas and incinerated dozens of homes and numerous livestock.

Thus the need for a burn ban. Montgomery County residents need to avoid outdoor burning and avoid activities that could lead to fire, including welding and grinding.